The unending tragedy in the Middle East

October 7, 2024

MANILA – It’s unclear what the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which had governed Gaza under a precarious truce with Israel, hoped to achieve with its coordinated attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Were they hoping to stoke a smoldering internal crisis in Israel’s leadership? Were they seeking to ignite another Arab-Israeli war? Or was their goal simply to refocus the world’s attention on the plight of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation?

On that day, thousands of Hamas militants, along with other Palestinian armed groups, launched an unprecedented assault on southern Israel. The attack began with a barrage of rockets aimed at communities near Gaza, followed by armed militants infiltrating Israeli territory. They targeted civilians, including concertgoers at the Nova Music Festival, killing hundreds and taking hostages. The assault claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people, the deadliest day in Israel’s history since its founding in 1948.

Israel’s defense forces were evidently caught off guard, and it took them nearly 24 hours to regain control of the attacked areas. The brutality of the incident, including the abduction of around 250 hostages, stunned the Jewish nation and shocked the whole world. Far from breaking apart, however, Israel united in mourning and reflection, with little inclination at that precise moment to assign blame or dismantle its government.

While the motivations behind the Hamas attack continue to be debated, the consequences are tragically clear. What began as an assault on Israeli civilians and security forces has escalated into a war that has devastated Gaza, exposing the recklessness of Hamas’ leadership. No amount of context could give this unprovoked attack the